Insight, News, and Strategy on Immigration Matters Around the World
Just as the Biden Administration is proposing increased funding for USCIS to help reduce the agency’s backlog, USCIS is announcing future new actions to improve processing times.
USCIS:
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The United States has joined many European countries that are opening their doors and offering humanitarian assistance to fleeing Ukrainians.
Ireland, Great Britain and Canada have all started private sponsorship programs for Ukrainians. That assistance is not necessarily a one-way street. Easing the way for incoming Ukrainians may help those nations deal with their own…
Recognizing the importance of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) graduates to the U.S. economy, the Biden Administration has made three policy changes that expand eligibility.
The changes are as follows:
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Afghans who are already residing in the United States will be eligible for Temporary Protected Status (TPS), according to an announcement from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). This designation will protect more than 74,000 Afghans from returning to unsafe conditions in their homeland.
DHS Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas stated that this would protect Afghan…
A series of significant developments in U.S. immigration law has already marked the beginning of 2022 and more can be expected. Please see our Legal Update for what to anticipate as the year progresses.
Consistent with the Biden Administration’s extensions for other countries, the Department of Homeland Security announced an 18-month extension and redesignation of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for both Sudan and South Sudan due to conditions in those countries that temporarily prevent their nationals from returning safely.
The specifics for South Sudan are published in the Federal…
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve daily, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has updated its guidelines on what is required or recommended for travelers after their arrival in the United States. These new changes join the December 2021 requirements about travel to the United States.
Reiterating: Before Boarding
Non-U.S. individuals (those…
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced the designation of Ukraine for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 18 months.
This designation was made based on the ongoing armed conflict and extraordinary and temporary conditions in Ukraine that prevent Ukrainian nationals, and those of no nationality who last habitually resided in Ukraine, from returning to Ukraine…
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that it is strongly encouraging applicants for adjustment of status (Form I-485) in the employment-based third preference category, if they are eligible to do so, to transfer the underlying basis of their applications to the first or second employment-based preference categories. This is because there are an…
USCIS has changed its mission statement again – this time to adopt a more immigration-friendly stance.
In 2018, USCIS, under the Trump Administration, changed its mission statement to align with President Donald Trump’s focus on enforcement, strict scrutiny, and extreme vetting. The statement did not emphasize customer satisfaction, i.e., the satisfaction of petitioners, applicants,…
